With the winter holidays around the corner, it’s that magical time of the year again when we spend more time with our loved ones. Some families play video games together, but my family enjoys playing board games more. So, here are some old and new board game favorites for family fun.
Ludo or Hey, Don’t Get Angry
Ludo is a classic board game based on the ancient Indian game Pachisi. In my country, we play a variation of Ludo, based on a German version of the game. It’s a 2 to 6-player game, although the most common board is for four players. We played it a lot as children and rediscovered it as adults just this year. Since we have children in the household, we play a cute Peter Rabbit-themed edition of the game, and it’s been a great success all around.
Scrabble
I am a huge fan of Scrabble, although I’ve mostly played online against anonymous players. I bought my first physical copy of the game this year, and we’ve already played several times. I like topics like the history of languages, the development of grammar, and obscure and out-of-fashion words, but none of those exciting words come to mind when I play with people I know. Still, practice makes perfect.
Verdant
I bought Verdant for myself during the summer. I got the recommendation for it from a Reddit group about Solo board gaming. If there is one drawback to board games, it would be the need to have other people on hand ready to play. But life as an adult is busy, so that’s only sometimes possible. Indeed, it’s less likely than I wish it were. Verdant and the next game on the list, Calico, can be played solo.
Verdant is a cozy puzzle game about cultivating plants. I’ll admit that I haven’t played it with other people, but I played it a lot during the summer alone. It took about 30 minutes, and playing it with a nice cup of tea by my side was pure relaxation. The artwork is gorgeous. The rules are relatively straightforward. It took me less time to get used to them than in Calico.
Calico
The first time I heard about Calico was last winter when I was looking for a Christmas gift for a dear friend. I had a list of directions- something that could be played by two people and was cute and cozy. I did a Google search, and Calico was the first thing that popped up. She loved her gift, and I mostly forgot about Calico.
Then, during the summer, Mina made an excellent demo impression about the demo of the video game version of it. I tried it out myself but couldn’t get into it for some reason. And then, this autumn, I played Calico in person with my friend, to whom I gave the game. I was hooked. I bought it almost immediately afterwards and played it with whoever was willing to, and when nobody wanted to, I played it by myself as well with a cup (or several) of tea. Now, I am waiting for the Steam version to play with my friends around the globe.
Fungi
I’ll admit, I bought Fungi the first time I saw it, because of the artwork. It has mushrooms on it! In other words, it’s an adorable, very cozy game about collecting mushrooms in the forest, selling them, or making soup. It’s a two-player game, and it has no solo mode. The rules are relatively simple to get the hang of, and it certainly helps that each player receives a card with the actions available during their move. It’s a quick game that takes about 30 minutes to finish. I’ve played it many times, and this is one instance where I am happy buying it without research.
Jigsaw Puzzles
While not strictly board games, from time to time, my family loves a pretty Christmas-themed puzzle to work around on the kitchen table. We’ve done puzzles by Ravensburger and Educa, among others. One year, we did a beautiful 1000-piece puzzle with a picture of Santa’s Workshop. I did a Sherlock Holmes one during the summer: a 1500-piece one. It was a bit much. I promised myself it would be the last puzzle I did, but I bought a kitchen-themed one by Galison. At least, it’s only 500 pieces!
Final Thoughts
Whether you play video or board games, spending time with your loved ones is always great. Nowadays, there is something to everyone’s taste – adventure, puzzling, logic, strategy, mystery, beautiful art, cozy themes, and even board games for solo playing to escape the frantic holiday preparations for a few blissful minutes.